Paint tray cover



May 26, 1970 G. s. MARTIN 3,514,012

PAINT TRAY COVER Filed Sept. 26, 1968 INVENTOR. 6. 6 GEORGE S.MART|N United States Patent 3,514,012 PAINT TRAY COVER George S. Martin, RJ). 3, Canopus Road, Peekskill, N.Y. 10566 Filed Sept. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 762,887 Int. Cl. B6511 25/14 US. Cl. 220-63 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable liner for use in paint trays in connection with the application of paint to a paint roller, said liner being constructed from a flexible, thin gauge sheet plastic. The liner includes a means for securing it against movement around the paint tray while the paint roller operates in the well of the paint tray.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in painting equipment.

More specifically, the present invention relates to improvements in painting trays of the type conventionally used in connection with the application of paint to a paint roller.

Paint trays of this type have generally been used in a form having a shallow end, or trough, and a deeper end or reservoir in which the supply of paint is disposed. In using paint rollers, these rollers are positioned within the tray so that the roller may be covered with the paint at the deep end of the tray and then rolled toward the shallow end of the tray to distribute the paint more or less evenly over the roller. The use of such paint trays requires the unpleasant task of cleaning the tray after each use so that all traces of paint are removed to permit its re-use at another time with paint of a different color.

Conventional paint trays which are constructed from metal generally cost between $2.00 and $3.00 and are not considered disposable, particularly for small painting operations, since the cost of the tray is a significant percentage of the cost of the material. Attempts to overcome these above-described disadvantages have utilized removable tray type liners constructed from cardboard or other stiff materials which are coated with plastic or wax to prevent leakage of paint therethrough. These cardboard paint liners however cannot be constructed at a low enough cost to interest their use as a replacement item. Moreover, with water base paints, the liners have been found to soften and deteriorate during the painting operation so that paint will seep through the liners onto the metal surfaces of the paint tray.

Accordingly, the present invention overcomes all of the above described disadvantages by providing a thin plastic paint tray liner constructed from sheet plastic material which completely covers all of the exposed surfaces of the paint tray. In one embodiment of the invention the bag contains a pocket which receives one end of the paint tray, while the other end consists of flaps which are folded around the tray for contact with bottom surfaces. Along the edges of the insides of the flaps are disposed adhesives surfaces which when placed in contact with the metal surfaces of the tray will be secured against movement so that the liner will withstand movement of fthe paint roller across its surfaces without slippage. In another embodiment of the invention, a plastic bag is provided which is completely enclosed except for an oval shaped slit. The slit permits the metal tray to be inserted through the slit opening so that the bag may be pulled around all of the exposed surfaces of the tray to prevent paint from contacting the tray.

It is therefore an object according to the present invention to provide a disposable liner for conventional 3,514,012 Patented May 26, 1970 paint trays which is constructed from sheet plastic material.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide a disposable plastic liner for covering paint trays which is secured to the tray sufficiently to Withstand movement of a paint roller thereover.

It is stil a further object according to the present invention to provide a disposable plastic liner for use with paint trays which is simple in design, easy to manufacture, and reliable in operation.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing which discloses the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawing is designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention as to which reference should be made to the appended claims.

In the drawing wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a conventional paint tray constructed from a rigid material, such as metal, as is well known in the art;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a disposable plastic liner according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paint tray of FIG. 1 having the disposable plastic liner of FIG. 2 secured thereto;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along section 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the disposable plastic liner according to the invention; and,

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the paint tray of FIG. 1 having the disposable plastic liner of FIG. 5 secured thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a conventional paint tray 10 constructed from a rigid material such as metal, designed as an open container, having a reservoir 12 at one end, and a shallow end 13 consisting of an inclined trough. The deep end of the tray 12=is used to contain the paint so that a roller (not shown) may be covered with paint at this end and then rolled toward the shallow end, along the surfaces of inclined trough 13, in order to distribute the paint more or less evenly on the roller. Paint tray 10 is also provided with a pair of L-shaped brackets 11 which are secured adjacent to the shallow end on its under surface by means of rivets (not shown). The vertical portion of bracket 11 is punched out to form a tab 22 which is directed parallel to the base of bracket 11. Bracket (11 is used as a foot for supporting the Weight of the shallow end of the tray, or in conjunction with tab 22, serves as a clasp to restrain the paint tray from movement when it is secured to a ladder or other platform.

The disposable plastic liner 15 as shown in detail in FIG. 2, is constructed from flexible sheet plastic material and includes a bag portion at one end which forms a pocket 21 for receiving the deep end of paint tray 10. The width of the pocket is constructed slightly larger than the width of the tray 10. Its depth is also slightly larger than the depth of the deep end of tray 10 to accommodate the depth of reservoir 12. The length of the pocket is designed to extend slightly beyond reservoir 12 on the underside of tray 10. The flexible plastic liner is also provided with an extending portion which contains side flaps 17 and 18, and end flap 16. The extending portion of the liner is designed to reach beyond the shallow end of tray 10 so that end flap 16 will be of sufficient length to fold over the end of tray 10 and be secure adjacent to brackets 11. Along the contacting edges of flaps 16, 17 and 18 are disposed adhesive strips 20, which may consist of an adhesive bonded to the flexibleplastic liner, or a tape which contains adhesive on both sides, and which is placed on to the plastic surfaces. Backing strips 18 are also provided to cover over the adhesive surfaces 20 of flaps 16-18, until plastic liner 15 is ready for use. Backing strips 18 may easily be peeled away from the adhesive to make adhesive surfaces 20 ready for contact to bottom side of the metal surfaces of tray 10.

When flexible liner 15 is inserted over tray 10 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, backing strips 19 have been removed from adhesive surfaces 20 so that end tab 16 may fold over end rim of tray 10 and be secured to the metal surfaces of the tray, adjacent to brackets 11. In a similar manner flaps 17 and 18 are folded over the sides of the tray adjacent to its shallow end 13 and secured to the underside of the tray along its center portion. The width of the extended portion of the plastic tray liner 15 is sufficient with respect to the width of tray 10 so that fold lines 26 which define each of the flaps 16-18 from the extended portion lie over the rim of tray 10. In this manner the open surfaces of the tray which will receive the' paint will be completely covered by the continuous Web of flexible plastic liner 15. The adhesives which secure liner 15 to the tray will prevent its movement on the tray body when the paint roller moves across its shallow portion 13.

Liner 15 can be constructed from a thin web of clear plastic flexiblematerial so that its pocket 21 may be integrally formed within the plastic web, or sealed at its edges by any known conventional technique. The bags will be sold at a price which isequivalent to the cost of conventional plastic bags commonly utilized for the storage of food products and sandwiches. Because of their lightweight and low volume, they also may 'be shipped at very low cost to the consumer.

FIG. illustrates another embodiment of the present invention consisting of a liner 30 which has already been constructed as an enclosed container having sidewalls 31, 32 and 35, and a top surface 34 for occupying the well portion of tray 10. The bottom side of liner 30 includes an oval opening or slit 33 into which the tray may be inserted. The slit is positioned approximately /3 the distance from end 32 of liner 30 so that the deep end of tray can be inserted first through slit 33 and drawn up against its long end 35. Due to the flexibility of the plastic the slit may then be brought over the shallow end of the tray as shown in FIG. 6, to secure the liner against any movement.

The liner may be constructed in different sizes and shapes in order to fit the dilferent shapes andrsizes of the various metal paint trays which are currently available.

While only two embodiments of the persent invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable liner for an open top substantially rectangular paint tray, said tray having at one end a paint reservoir and at the other end a shallow portion with bottom inclined toward said reservoir, said liner comprising;

a flexible plastic member having an open ended pocket member formed in one end thereof, for slidable reception of the reservoir end of the tray,

a rectangular extension portion secured to a sidewall of said pocket member at the open end thereof for disposal over the shallow portion of the tray, said extension portion further having foldable flaps on its free edges for contact with the outside of the shallow portion, and means for securing said flaps to the tray.

2. The disposable liner as recited in claim 1 wherein said extended portion includes three flaps extending in three respective directions for folding over the opposite sides and one end of said tray.

3. The disposable liner as recited in claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises an adhesive disposed along the edges of said flaps for contact with the bottom surfaces of said paint tray.

4. The disposable liner as recited in claim 3 wherein said adhesive means additionally comprises a removable backing strip disposed over the adhesive for protecting the adhesive prior to use.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,131,855 10/1938 Hummel 220-63 X 2,308,527 1/ 1943 Look 22953 2,542,413 2/1951 Ibsch 220- 2,922,176 1/1960 Bernhardt 220-63 X JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner J. R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiner U 5. Cl. X.R. 15257.06 

